A French swimmer has left a beach in eastern Japan, heading out to sea on a mission to cross the Pacific Ocean - and carry out research on plastic pollution at sea. Benoit Lecomte aims to reach San Francisco, some 9,000 kilometres away, in six to eight months on a journey combining adventure with scientific experiments. The 51-year-old, who already swum across the Atlantic Ocean 20 years ago, is accompanied by two boats and a team of eight people. A crowd of around a few dozen people...